Religion as a Hobby?

Recently USA Today ran a front page story on the changing religious face of America as they perceive it. Sadly, the polls were unscientific and skewed and the interviews focused on people who would reinforce the author's spin on the story, which made the whole piece so far off base that it was uninteresting as well as uninformative. The article did do one thing, though, it led to a particularly shocking comment from daughter Athena.

Athena, an agnostic, seems to think that religion is one of my hobbies. As my daughter, I thought she would know me better than that, but then she explained her assumption. A hobby is what interests you, she says, it is what you spend your time, energy and money on. A hobby is something you are enthusiastic about and pour yourself into. Okay, I can see how a nonbeliever might make such a statement. Without an understanding of the terms, the uninitiated assume Christianity and religion are somehow closely related when, in fact, they are almost always at opposite poles.

Religion is man trying to work his way to, reach, please, impress or in any way influence God. True Christianity is God doing all the "work," reaching out to man who has to do nothing except receive the gift offered Him... pure Grace.

Then, in relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit (Trinity), man is drawn through love to do things pleasing to God. Such works are not self-serving but a natural outpouring of God's love for man acting through the believer.

A misunderstanding of this concept is what leads people to believe they have to "get good" to "get God." Nothing could be more false. The same misconception also leads to a misguided understanding of salvation, Christianity and the personhood of God. People fail to realize they HAVE to do something with Jesus. They can reject Him in any number of ways, including ignoring Him, or they accept Him as Savior and Lord. In the end, it falls one way or the other. All will have a chance to choose, and all will be responsible for their choice.

My faith is not a hobby; it is not something I DO, rather it is WHO I AM. I am a child of God and will live eternally. When God looks at me, He no longer sees my sin; He sees only the righteousness of Jesus who, in a single transaction paid the full debt for all my pas, present and future sins. Nothing about that could remotely be as mundane as a hobby.